The NBA offseason is already off and running with JJ Redick taking the Lakers job, Alex Caruso and Josh Giddey trading places, Pascal Siakam agreeing to a four-year, $189 million deal to stay with Indiana, and Malik Monk, who possibly could've gotten something close to $100M on the open market, giving the Sacramento Kings a hometown a discount on a four-year, $78M extension.
The first round of the NBA Draft is Wednesday night, and the second round Thursday. Free agency opens Sunday, June 30, at 6 p.m. ET. Until then, we've got the normal assortment of rumors swirling. Some shall come to fruition. Some shall not. But they're all worth discussing, and on that note, let's take a look at the 10 biggest offseason storylines to watch.
1. Lakers and LeBron
Redick is in, but could LeBron be out? Probably not. However, James is a free agent (assuming he opts out of his 2024-25 contract for $51.4 million, which he is expected to do in search of a longer-term deal) and Philadelphia, as an example, does have the space to sign him to a max contract. If LeBron leaves, it will obviously be the biggest story in the league, More likely, if he stays, what will his contract look like?
After that, will the Lakers make a move for the third star they have long been threatening to add? Trae Young is out there on the trade block. So is his current Atlanta teammate, Dejounte Murray. The Lakers, who are over the luxury-tax first apron, are expected to be aggressive. Is this the summer we see Austin Reaves, as the Lakers' only real non-draft-pick asset with meaningful market value, shipped out? We'll find out.
2. Does Bronny James get drafted?
Will the Lakers take Bronny with the 17th pick? Will the Suns take him with the 22nd pick? Will he fall to the second round? Will he fall out entirely and have to sign as an undrafted free agent? Bronny will be the biggest story on draft night(s), which is certainly a unique situation for a guy who isn't even universally regarded as a legit NBA prospect. And that's really all there is to say here. We'll know more by the end of Thursday night.
3. Where does Paul George end up?
The Clippers are apparently pinching pennies with George, who's set to become an unrestricted free agent assuming he doesn't pick up his 2024-25 player option for $48.7M. Reports have so far indicated the Clippers aren't willing to exceed the three-year, $150M million extension that they gave to Kawhi Leonard. That's a long way off from the four-year, $221M max contract George could get from a team holding the necessary cap space to make such an offer.
The Philadelphia 76ers are one of those teams and it's hard to imagine a better basketball and timeline pairing, which makes the report that the Sixers' interest in George significantly waned exceedingly strange. It's worth noting that Oklahoma City could definitely make something work with over $31M in projected cap space and/or plenty of assets to facilitate a potential sign and trade. So could the Orlando Magic. Reminder that a sign and trade hard caps the team receiving the signed player.
The Knicks are also reportedly keeping their eye on George should he decide to opt in to the final year of his deal with L.A. and then request a trade, which ESPN's Brian Windhorst has reported as a real option. Golden State feels like a sleeper if Klay Thompson is moved and Jonathan Kuminga anchors a legitimate trade package.
Understand, George opting in and then requesting a trade is risky. George is in position to secure one more max deal at 33 years old, and that might not be true next summer. One thing is for sure: George can't like the news that Philadelphia has cooled on him in terms of his leverage with the Clippers, who are basically daring him to leave for more money.
4. How do 76ers use max space?
The Sixers are finally off the Tobias Harris contract and, as mentioned above, have max cap space at their disposal. Again, why their interest in George has waned is a mystery. Is this a negotiating tactic? Do they want the Clippers to get complacent thinking there isn't a max offer out there for George and the fly in at the last second to offer one?
I'm too trusting. I take people at their word, or reported word, so when I see reports saying the Clippers don't want George, I believe they don't want George, as little sense as that makes to me. I would be a terrible GM, I guess. I'll fall for anything.
Either way, the Sixers are going to do something significant, of that I am sure. It's simply not an option to dole out max cap space to a bunch of peripheral players with the Joel Embiid championship clock ticking like a lead weight.
Signing Tyrese Maxey to a max deal doesn't even count. He's already there. They need an outsider. Brandon Ingram could be an option. DeMar DeRozan. Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports reported that the 76ers aren't interested in pursuing Zach LaVine, which, unlike the George leak, makes sense. LaVine is signing up for another Tobias Harris contract. Maybe even worse.
So, what do the Sixers do?
5. Hawks facing a crossroads
Atlanta beat long odds to secure the No. 1 pick Wednesday night. Zaccharie Risacher, a 6-foot-8 wing who projects as a plus defender with work to do as a shooter and creator, is slotted as the guy Atlanta will take in our latest CBS Sports mock draft, and other mocks agree. It's still an option to trade down for a couple picks in what is seen as a weak high-end draft.
Aside from the draft, do the Hawks make the hard decision to move on from the Trae Young era and trade their franchise player? It might be easier said than done. Young's market isn't exactly bullish. The Lakers, I suppose, can do business with Atlanta. I wouldn't encourage it, but the Lakers do love their stars.
It's a franchise-changing decision: Do the Hawks trade Young and build around Dejounte Murray as their point guard, or trade Murray and stick with Young. Or, do they trade them both and totally reset around whoever they take at No. 1? A lot of moving parts here, and it will be fascinating to see what shakes out.
6. Klay Thompson and the Warriors
It's looking more and more likely that Thompson's incredible Warriors career could be coming to an end this summer. This from our Sam Quinn:
According to The Athletic's Anthony Slater, there is no offer of any kind on the table for Thompson to remain with Golden State. There have been "no productive discussions" between the two sides and "talks are essentially frozen." Further complicating matters, according to Slater, is the potential loss of Thompson's best source of leverage. While there was reportedly mutual interest between Thompson and the Orlando Magic early in the process, there is currently no traction between them either.
Last offseason, the Warriors reportedly offered Thompson a two-year extension for $48 million and he turned it down. Now they may not even be offering that much, perhaps banking on the possibility that Thompson's market could be cool and he wold be forced to come back to Golden State on a bargain.
That's pretty cutthroat business to conduct with with a franchise legend who has been instrumental in turning the Warriors into an estimated $8 billion enterprise. Then again, Thompson has been compensated pretty well for his services. The Warriors paid him almost $70 million from 2019-2021and he didn't play one game for them over that span. They gave him a five-year, $189 million contract knowing he was headed for ACL surgery and rehab.
Now the Warriors are looking to duck the tax after paying nearly $600 million in luxury penalties over the past four years, but they also don't want to waste what is left of Stephen Curry's prime. So beyond the Thompson decision, are the Warriors ready to swing a big deal by shipping out draft picks and possibly Jonathan Kuminga? The two-timeline thing is over.
As mentioned above, Paul George could be a legit option if the Clippers would dance on a potential sign- or extend-and-trade, or if George just decides to opt in to his $48M player option for this season and then request a trade. Chris Paul's money could anchor a the finances of such deal, or any other that Golden State chooses to pursue.
7. Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs
Cleveland finally hired a coach, landing Kenny Atkinson on Monday morning. There's also this little bit of business of Mitchell, who can essentially tell the franchise what to do with him. He's entering the last year of his contract, and if he says he wants to be traded, leveraging the fear of losing him for nothing next summer, he's going to be traded. It's really that simple.
Now, if Mitchell says he wants to stay and signs an extension, then what becomes of Darius Garland? It's hard to imagine them both coming back as Cleveland has proven to be a few notable notches below the East's true contenders with this super-small backcourt that does a lot of the same things that didn't even manage to produce a top-15 offense last season.
Jarrett Allen could also be dealt, as he is similarly redundant with Evan Mobley, who is younger and the more likely guy to build around. These are all big to super-big names and Cleveland controls all of them presently speaking. Let's see how they play their hand.
8. Do Thunder go for it?
OKC already traded for Alex Caruso, who is going to make their defense an honest-to-god nightmare. Is that the first move in a busy summer for a team with unlimited draft assets and over $31M in projected ca to work with? They could get into the Paul George sweepstakes. They could, really, make a run at pretty much any player they want.
If they don't go huge, Klay Thompson would make a lot of sense to bolster shooting, which was a little bit exposed in OKC's second-round loss to Dallas. Isaiah Hartenstein would be incredible in addition to, and alongside, Chet Holmgren. Hartenstein would solve a lot of OKC's rebounding troubles and be a second elite rim protector if they could take him from the Knicks. Mitchell Robinson would slot similarly. As we'll talk about in a second, the Knicks are at least doing due diligence on a Mitchell trade. Brook Lopez is a name to keep in mind.
One way or another, you have to wonder how much longer Sam Presti is going to slow play his roster building around the edges. To be clear, they don't need to go superstar hunting; they shouldn't, in fact, unless something perfect presents itself. But the options are limitless here, and OKC is ready to make a championship run right now.
9. The Brandon Ingram conundrum
Ingram is one of the most interesting players this summer. He's a 26-year-old two-time All-Star. That is a typically a player description that equals a max extension, which, for Ingram, who entering the last year of his current deal, would be $208 million over four years.
But Ingram isn't a lock to sign a max deal with New Orleans and in fact is probably a pretty likely trade candidate. He was benched in New Orleans' first-round loss to the Thunder. He was a nothing in Game 4, scoring eight points on 2-of-14 shooting in 39 minutes as the Pelicans were swept.
Ingram doesn't fit great alongside Zion Williamson. He needs the ball, and Zion, not exactly a floor spacer himself, is going to control things as a top priority. Do you really want to commit to Ingram at an average annual salary north of $50M through 2029?
Because if the Pelicans don't, which many would argue they shouldn't, they almost have to trade him this summer. He's going to get paid a big number by someone next summer, and if the Pelicans don't want to pay him or lose him for nothing, they will find themselves backed into a corner at this time next year.
10. Knicks could be busy
New York has a lot going on this summer. OG Anunoby and Isaiah Hartenstein are free agents. They're reportedly looking into trading Mitchell Robinson. In his latest newsletter on Sunday, Marc Stein cited a source advising him to "keep the Knicks on the list" in the event that Paul George opts in and requests a trade rom the Clippers. Julius Randle always feels like a potential trade option.
Stein reported that the Knicks are still the overwhelming favorite to re-sign Anunoby, and the reporting on the potential Robinson trade would suggest they feel good about their chances of keeping Hartenstein. It should be noted, however, that the Knicks aren't necessarily shopping Mitchell but merely gauging what may be out there in the even they do decide to move him.
From our James Herbert:
The Knicks have spoken to several teams, including the Washington Wizards, about potential trades involving center Mitchell Robinson, SNY's Ian Begley reported on Sunday. Robinson, 26, is one of the best rebounders in the NBA and, before suffering a stress fracture in his left ankle in December, he was playing the best defense of his career.
On Saturday, SNY reported that Leon Rose's front office is gauging the market as it approaches an offseason that could see its payroll increase significantly. Isaiah Hartenstein, the center who broke out after Robinson's injury, is about to hit free agency, and the Knicks would like to re-sign both him and Anunoby. They can offer Hartenstein a four-year deal worth $72.5 million, using their Early Bird rights. Anunoby will cost much more than that. If Hartenstein, Anunoby and Bojan Bogdanovic (who has a $19 million team option) all return, New York could be well over the luxury tax.
Also, at some point, the Knicks are going to look to cash in some of this draft capital they've acquired -- unless they shifts gears and decide they have enough to compete with some smaller moves and see the bevy of draft picks as a way to add cheap talent as their payroll increases.
